Grateful
for Prophets and Apostles and the opportunity to sit at their feet every 6
months.
President
Boyd K. Packer –
Influence
on 2 young men who had a great influence on me –
-
My
father’s
seminary teacher near Brigham City
-
From my
father I learned the importance of priesthood service,family, hard work,
enduring to the end
-
Mission
president in the New England States mission to Bishop Van Orman – who I served with in a bishopric
-
From
Bishop Van Orman I learned patience, humility, how to love all those we serve,
and how to serve with all your heart,might, mind and strength.
In conference
last month, speaking to the youth President Packer said, “You are precious beyond measure. I
have seen you in dozens of countries and on every continent. You are much better
than we were when young. You know more about the gospel. You are more mature
and more faithful.
I am now 87
years old. You may wonder, at my age what I can contribute to your lives. I
have been where you are and know where you are going. But you have not yet been
where I am. “
Then
President Packer recited the following poem,
The old crow is getting slow.
The young crow is not.
Of what the young crow does
not know
The old crow knows a lot.
At knowing things the old crow
Is still the young crow’s master.
What does the slow old crow not know?
—How to
go faster.
The young crow flies above,
below,
And rings around the slow old crow.
What does the fast young
crow not know?
He continued,
“You young crows need not fly aimlessly to and
fro, unsure of the path ahead. There are
those who know the way. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret
unto his servants the prophets.” Close quote
Paul told the Ephesians,
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
It is my hope
that the youth here today will recognize how they have been prepared to serve,
and that parents, grandparents and all those who work with the youth, will take
the time to teach by word and deed, and then will stand back and give the youth
they work with the opportunity to grow through service.
President
Eyring spoke in this past general conference about preparation for service – both our own preparation and that
which we help provide for others.
I am grateful
for old crows in my life that took the time to teach me and prepare me for
gospel service. As a young 16 year old
home teacher, I was assigned to be the companion of an older brother in our
ward. We were assigned to home teach a
dear sister that was suffering from Alzheimers.
I had not been around anyone suffering from alzheimers before and was
unsure what challenges we may encounter.
I was comforted by the fact that my companion would know how to
proceed. As we entered the house, I
noticed that the television was on and that the volume was very loud. My companion asked if it would be ok to turn
off the television. The sister replied “oh please, please would you? I have tried over and over and can’t turn it off.”
My first assignment was to figure out how to turn off this sisters
television. I discovered that it was
necessary to hold the down volume button until the sound was all the way down,
and then the television would turn off.
After I left a gospel message and we aksed if we could kneel in prayer,
this Sister asked if we were going to leave without giving a lesson. My senior companion put his hand on my knee
and said, “Brother
Welch, has prepared a message and would be happy to give it to us now.”
I taught the lesson again, and remember the beautiful confirmation of
the Spirit that the Lord loved this dear sister. After we left, my companion told me that my
assignment for the next several weeks would be to stop by this sisters’ home each night to turn off her
television. Each night as I told her why
I was there she would thank me over and over again and wonder how I knew that
she was having problems turning off her television.
Much of my
church service has been spent serving with the youth. I have been humbled many times as I have
witnessed the “Hope of
Israel” as they
have so capably and courageously answered the call to serve.
President
Eyring taught, “Our
Heavenly Father has been preparing us since we were taught at His knee in His
kingdom before we were born. Some of the
first lessons in the premortal life surely included the plan of salvation.. We
were not only taught the plan but were in councils where we chose it.
Because a veil
of forgetfulness was placed over our minds at birth, we have had to find a way
to relearn in this life what we once knew and defended. Part of our
preparation in this life has been to find that precious truth so that we can
then recommit to it by covenant.”
It has been my
privilege to know Elder Wangsgaard from Centerville who has relearned and
recommitted to those precious truths of which President Eyring spoke. He began
his full time service as a missionary last November in the Philippines Cebu
mission. He served faithfully and
developed a deep love for the Gospel and for the people of Cebu. Then in July
he was stricken with severe back problems and it was determined that he would
need to be sent home for treatment. He was extended a release from full time
missionary service, and was devastated, but, determined to do what was
necessary to return to full time service.
I had the chance to speak with him and told him it was important that he
continue to act as if he were a missionary. I told him that I thought it would
be a blessing for both of us to be together in the temple every Tuesday morning
until he was able to return to full time service. He followed closely the doctor’s and physical therapists
instructions. He found that he could help teach at the MTC. He went with the local missionaries as often
as possible. Then last Tuesday he was set apart again as a full time missionary
and Wednesday he boarded a plane to return to the Philippines. In his first email home to his family, this 6’5 240 pound wrestling champion said
simply “My joy
exceeds my strength!”
I am reminded
of the words of the hymn “True
to the Faith
“Shall
the youth of Zion falter
In defending
truth and right?
While the enemy
assaileth,
Shall they
shrink or shun the fight? NO
True to the
faith that their parents have cherished,
True to the
truth for which martyrs have perished,
To God’s command,
Soul heart, and
hand,
Faithful and
true they will ever stand.
The scriptures
offer many examples of young people doing the work of the Lord. The greatest
example is when Jesus astounded the learned doctors of the temple in Jerusalem,
“both hearing them, and asking them
questions” as a
boy of twelve. “And all
that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.” (Luke 2:46–47.)
And there are
many other examples:
Noah was “ten years old when he was ordained” to the priesthood by his grandfather
Methuselah. (D&C 107:52.)
"Melchizedek
was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God,
and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.
“And
thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the
order of the covenant which God made with Enoch.” (JST, Gen. 14:26–27.)
Joseph was sold
into Egypt as a youth of seventeen years, and already he had had dreams from
the Lord. (Gen. 37:1–28.)
“… Samuel
ministered before the Lord, being a child. … And the child Samuel grew on, and
was in favor both with the Lord, and also with men.” (1 Sam. 2:18, 26.) “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord,
neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him,” but one night the Lord called him
and he answered, “Speak;
for thy servant heareth.”
(1 Sam. 3:7–10.)
David offered
to fight Goliath the Philistine giant who was challenging Israel, but King Saul
was dubious because David was so young. Said Saul: “… thou art but a youth, and he
[Goliath] a man of war from his youth.” However, David, not easily
discouraged, reiterated to Saul that he had already fought both a lion and a
bear. Then said David: “The
Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the
bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” (1 Sam 17:33, 37.)
Jacob, the son
of Lehi, got an early start in things of righteousness and led his father to
exclaim: “… thou
hast beheld in thy youth his [the Redeemer’s] glory; wherefore, thou art blessed
even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh.” (2 Ne. 2:4.) Nephi emphasized the spiritual
nature of his young brother Jacob by saying, “And my brother, Jacob, also has seen
[the Lord] as I have seen him.”
(2 Ne. 11:3.)
The two
thousand stripling warriors of Helaman were characterized by their great faith
in the blessings of the Lord.
Of these young
men the scriptures say:
“And they
were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for
strength and activity …
who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.” (Alma 53:20.)
“Now they
never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the
liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been
taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.” (Alma 56:47.)
“… they
are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God
continually.” (Alma 57:27.)
The prophet
Mormon wrote:
“And I,
being fifteen years of age and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was
visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.” (Morm. 1:15.)
“And
notwithstanding I being young, was large in stature; therefore the people of
Nephi appointed me that I should be their leader, or the leader of their
armies.
“Therefore
it came to pass that in my sixteenth year I did go forth at the head of an army
of the Nephites. …” (Morm. 2:1–2.)
Joseph Smith
received his First Vision while he was still in his fifteenth year. He later
wrote of these early events and described himself as being young and “unacquainted with men and things … an obscure boy, only between
fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make
a boy of no consequences in the world. …” (JS—H 1:8, 22.)
Yet the work that the Lord accomplished through him was second only to that of
Jesus in importance. (D&C 135:3.)
To his young
friend Timothy, Paul said: “Let
no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers. …” (1 Tim. 4:12.) “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow
righteousness. …” (2 Tim. 2:22.) He commended Timothy because “from a child thou hast known the holy
scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation. …” (2 Tim. 3:15.)
And Alma
explained that “little
children do have words given unto them many times which confound the wise and
the learned.” (Alma 32: 23.)
It is obvious that the Lord trusts and has confidence in the youth
of the church. I love the “For the strength of Youth” pamphlet. I have always
marveled at the schedule that the prophet and the apostles are able to
maintain. Then one night as I was
studying, I looked over at this pamphlet and it hit me that it says “for the strength of youth”. I
began to think that possibly it could mean that if we live by the principles
taught herein, we can have the “strength of youth”.
For the strength of youth pamphlet begins with a message from the
First Presidency that states ”Our beloved young men and women, we have great confidence in
you. You are choice spirits who have
come forth in this day when the responsibilities and opportunities, as well as
the temptations are the greatest.”
In their most critical time, the Nephites looked to a young man,
Mormon, for leadership and inspiration (see Mormon 2:1–2). Today, we look to our
youth to be a great strength to the Church and a force for good on the earth.
This is what the Lord expects.
President Packer
“You are a child of God. He is the father of
your spirit. Spiritually you are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of
Heaven. Fix that truth in your mind and hold to it. However many generations in
your mortal ancestry, no matter what race or people you represent, the pedigree
of your spirit can be written on a single line. You are a child of God!” (“To
Young Women and Men,” April 1989 general conference)
Speaking to youth leaders, President Uchtdorf said.
“You set the example and let them learn.
Consider the Savior. He lets us do His work here in our different callings. He
is patient with us. That is what we need to do with our young people.”
Lead me, guide me, walk BESIDE me, help me find the way
Teach me all that I must do, to live with Him someday.
I saw this many times in the past three years with the Stake Youth
Council, as they planned stake activities, firesides and seminary graduations. These faithful young men and women took the
lead as stake YM and YW leaders trained
and prepared the youth and then stepped back and let the youth follow the
spirit as they planned, prepared for and executed stake activities.
President
Eyring continued,
“So part of the priesthood preparation we will have in this
life will be opportunities to serve and teach others. It may include being
teachers in the Church, wise and loving fathers, members of a quorum, and
missionaries for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord will
offer the opportunities, but whether we are prepared will depend on us
The
Lord calls people, young and old, who may appear to worldly eyes, and even to
themselves, to be weak and simple. The Lord can turn those apparent
shortcomings into strengths.”
I
am grateful that the Lord inspired a Relief Society president in Cordoba
Argentina to assign a young visiting teacher to an inactive sister in her
ward, a visiting teacher that had been
prepared by others to serve as the Lord would serve. I received a letter last
Sunday from this inactive sister – I would like to
share portions of that letter with you.
This sister was baptized nearly 30 years ago, and had not been to church
for nearly 25 years.
She said,” About 9 months ago, I received a
call from a sister who said that she had just moved into our ward, and that I
didn't know her but she had been assigned as my new visiting teacher. She would like to come with her
companion and visit me. I told her that we didn't go to the church anymore. She said she wasn’t’ concerned about that and that she
would like to meet me and get to know me anyway.
I
remember when she first came to my home. I thought she was very young. I asked
her how old she was and she replied that she was 24. I thought that she was too young to
be able to teach me anything, or to understand what I had been through in my
life.
She
was very kind and I remember she bore a very strong testimony of the book of
Mormon. I
thought she would not come again to see me, but I was wrong. That was the first
of many visits. She
would visit often and would bring the relief society lessons to teach me. She bore very strong testimony that
Jesus Christ loved me. And that I was needed in the ward. She always rides the colectivo to
visit me and walks more than one kilometer from the colectivo stop.
Then 6 weeks
ago, my mother died. Hermana Gaston (my visiting teacher) was the first person
to arrive at my home. She spent the whole day with me. I was very upset- she asked me if I
had a book of Mormon that she could use. She read me some very comforting
scriptures about the plan of salvation, and gave me her testimony that I could
see my mother again. The spirit was very strong, and I knew once again that what
she read was true. I felt the Lord loves me because I felt Sister Gaston loves
me.
She said later
in her letter that she was grateful for a young visiting teacher who came to
her home and helped her remember her testimony.
President
Monson speaking to the youth said,"As I contemplate who you are and what
you are, who you may become and what you may become, I say to you you have
great expectation. Not as the result of an unknown benefactor, but as the
result of a known benefactor –
even our Heavenly Father. And great things are expected of you. You are a choice
generation. May you strive always to achieve those great expectations."
Ammon gave us
insight into how we can achieve those expectations,
"Yea, I
know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast
of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all thing. Alma 26;12
I believe the
promise of Ammon to his brethren applies to the youth today. “Yea, they shall not be beaten down by
the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the
whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their
place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be
driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them.
“But
behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and
he will raise them up at the last day” (Alma 26:6–7).
I bear testimony that the Lord loves the youth and that he will
bless us as we serve them and serve with them in bringing to pass His work and
His Glory.
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